Math Functions

PostgreSQL isn’t just a tool for storing and retrieving data—it’s also a powerful engine for performing calculations and numerical analysis. Whether you're building reports, analyzing trends, or just crunching some numbers, PostgreSQL’s built-in math functions can save you a lot of time and effort.

In this overview, we'll explore what math functions are in PostgreSQL, why they’re useful, and how they're used in real-world scenarios.

What Are Math Functions in PostgreSQL?

Math functions in PostgreSQL are built-in operations that let you perform calculations directly within your SQL queries. Instead of exporting your data to another tool for computation, you can calculate values like totals, averages, percentages, and even trigonometric or logarithmic results—right inside the database.

These functions can be used on individual values, columns of data, or the results of other queries. They cover a wide range of use cases, from basic arithmetic to advanced mathematical modeling.

Why Are They Useful?

Math functions are especially useful when you're trying to process or analyze data efficiently. With these functions, you can:

• Perform on-the-fly calculations without needing additional software

• Clean and prepare data for reports or dashboards

• Support business logic directly in SQL, reducing the need for application-side computation

• Summarize data through aggregations like sums and averages

• Detect patterns or outliers using more advanced mathematical operations

By handling computations at the database level, you also reduce latency, eliminate extra steps in your data pipeline, and ensure consistent results.

Common Use Cases

Some examples of how math functions are used in real-world applications include:

• Calculating revenue growth between months in a financial report

• Rounding customer invoice totals for presentation

• Analyzing sales trends using moving averages

• Computing distance between geographic coordinates with trigonometric functions

• Detecting anomalies in sensor data using standard deviation

In analytics-heavy environments—such as finance, e-commerce, or IoT—these functions are essential tools for working with numerical data.

What Will You Learn in This Section?

In this part of the documentation, we’ll walk through PostgreSQL’s most commonly used math functions, organized by type. Topics include:

• Basic arithmetic operators: addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), and modulus (%)

• Rounding and absolute values: ROUND, CEIL, FLOOR, ABS

• Power and roots: POWER, SQRT

• Trigonometric functions: SIN, COS, TAN

• Aggregates for summarizing data: SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, COUNT

Each topic will include clear syntax, example queries, and explanations of when and why to use each function.